The Child
by MySanityIsAMatterOfOpinion
Summary: Bright, lively, hopeful, fun, day-dreamer, story teller. There were so many words that described her. Jamie was surprised she had lasted this long, and he thought that she shouldn't be wasting her strength like this. He had heard what the doctor said to his mom. Katie only had a few hours left. And little did he know, so many years more
1. Chapter 1

"Katie, Katie, will you tell us a story?" The children asked, running up to the side of her bed.

"But of course, come on up and tell me which one you'd like to hear." She said.

"We wanna hear _The Children_."

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely positive?" Katie jested.

The two children climbed upon the bed. Their mother watched from the doorway.

"We love that story, and we love it especially when you tell it." Jamie cried out.

"Okay, okay." Katie sighed in defeat. She hadn't written _The Children_ down yet. It was still oral, and she very much disliked how it changed a little every time she told it. "Settle down, and I'll tell the story."

"Now then, you know the stories our parents would tell us? The ones about where we came from? The ones about coming from a cabbage patch or that the stork brought us? These are partly true. The parents don't know all of it though. Only the children do. They come into the knowledge, and until then, they depend on the others. The other children will often pass down the knowledge. The knowledge of where we came from."

"There are the children from the fields. They have a strong connection to the earth. They are always very happy to be around plants. These children usually live very quiet lives, and are happy to do so."

"There are the children from the sky. They have a strong connection to the children of the wind. They are nomads. They like to see new things and go new places."

"There are the children from the ocean. They love to swim and to be underwater. They usually grow up as artists. Very famous ones, too."

"There are children from the mountains. They love to be up high. You would think that they would be great friends with Wind and Sky Children, but they usually aren't. Mountain children like to stay rooted in one place and climb to great heights while they're there."

"The children of the rivers are usually great friends with children of the Wind. River children are fast moving and reckless, yet they always-"

She cut off. Coughing until her face was red.

Sophie got Katie a glass of water while Jamie looked around the room. His eyes rested on each being in the white, dismal room. Beings that only he and Sophie could see, at the moment. His eyes were sad, pleading, "Please help her," they said.

Katie's coughing died down. She cleared her throat.

"Jamie," she called him over to the bed, "would you open the curtains for me?"

"Of course I will, Katie."

"Jamie, you're so eloquent today. Did someone at school catch your eye?" Katie asked.

"N-no," Jamie sputtered, "it's just, um, can you please continue the story? Please, before we have to leave."

"Hm. Oh, yes, I will." Katie said.

"As I was saying, Children of the Rivers are fast moving and reckless, yet they always manage to come back on top."

"Children of the Winds are almost always great friends with Children of the Sky, and the Children of the Rivers. They like to travel, though they will always find a place that is home to them."

Jamie looked at Jack Frost. The description fit him perfectly. As he looked back at Katie he noticed the bloody rag half-hidden under her pillow. "She's getting worse." He thought.

"The Children of Clouds are slow goers. They love to just float through life, never truly knowing where they're going. This may be because they like to see all of things. They are easy to get along with and are able to consider new things."

"The Children of Stones are also slow goers. Rather, they don't move at all! It's a usual sight to see a Child of the Stones just sitting somewhere, thinking. They love to just stay where they are. Be careful though, Stone Children are very good at holding grudges. They see things in their own way, and it's almost impossible to get them to change their opinion."

She sounded as though she was getting sleepier. But her stormy blue eyes were bright and lively as usual.

"Her eyes may look the same, but the rest of her sure doesn't," he thought.

It was true. Her eyes were the essence of herself, entailing all that she was. Bright, lively, hopeful, fun, day-dreamer, story teller. There were so many words that described her. Jamie was surprised she had lasted this long, and he thought that she shouldn't be wasting her strength like this. He had heard what the doctor said to his mom. Katie only had a few hours left.

"There are certainly the more regal Children. The ones who have duties are the Sun Children. They have a bad past, and yet, feel the need to protect others. To keep the shadows of fear at bay."

Her eyes were starting to fog. Yet her voice was strong as ever.

"There are Moon Children. They stand guard in the night. Moon Children are mysterious and not always completely right in the head. They will always be there. No matter what."

"The last are the Children of the Stars. They are the hardest to identify. Because they can be anything. Star Children are mixes of other Children. Iridescent, always shining with a different color."

Jamie looked at Sophie, then at the Guardians, and lastly, back to Katie. She looked like she was having trouble breathing.

"Sophie," Katie said, "do me a favor and open the window. Jamie, could you get that box on the table?"

"Yeah!"

"Yes, Katie."

As soon as Sophie opened the window, a cool breeze rushed in. It whipped through Katie's now dull and lifeless caramel hair. Her eyes had dimmed further yet.

"You're going to be an author, right Jamie?" Katie asked.

"Y-yeah."

Katie sighed. "In that package, is a folder of all my stories. One day, do me a favor, publish them. Stories are meant to shared. So, share them. For me. Please."

Jamie nodded feverously.

Her chest movement was getting slower.

"Tell me, is the moon out?"

"Yes." Sophie answered, seeming to understand what was happening.

"Yay…" Katie's eyes were now completely glazed over.

The unseen beings gathered in the room noticed the moon glowing brighter. A stream of golden sand made its way over to Katie's head. She closed her eyes. The sand formed an image.

It was apparent that she was flying. Jamie understood instantly. The moon shone brighter.

Her chest rose then settled one last time.


	2. Chapter 2

First of all, I'd like to do thank yous and an author's note. So…

:** Thank you for following my story. I never imagined I'd get such feedback so quickly after I posted my very first story. **

Author's note time. I had no idea how to start this chapter, there were so many possibilities after the prologue. Also, Katie dies about a year after the Battle of Pitch. So, I figure Jamie is around nine years old and Sophie is around four or so. This chapter is set ten years after Katie dies, so Jamie will be 19 years old and Sophie will be 14 years old. I have a feeling this is gonna be pretty long, because there's a butt load of dialogue. So, here we go.

* * *

"Hey Sophie."

"Huh!" The girl lying on the grass started. "Oh, hey Jamie."

"Whatcha doing?" Jamie asked.

"Thinking," was the simple answer, "and watching the stars," Sophie added.

"Thinking about…" Jamie prompted, sitting on the grass beside his little sister.

"Katie."

"Oh," Jamie sighed, "I miss her."

"Every day and more," Sophie added.

They sat in tense silence.

"I got the first story published," Jamie spoke.

"Which one?" Sophie asked, looking over at her big brother.

"_The Children_," Jamie said, softly.

Another tense silence passed.

"You're a Mountain Child," Sophie laughed quietly, "I just know it."

"Well, you're a Field Child," Jamie retorted.

"With both of us sitting here, we could very well be Stone Children," Sophie said.

"What about Katie," Jamie wondered, "what was she?"

"Katie was a Child of the Stars, no doubt about it." Sophie said, completely sure.

"Iridescent." Jamie stated softly.

"Always shining with a different color," Sophie whispered, "I miss her."

"Every day and more," Jamie added.

They passed several minutes in silence.

"Whoa, Jamie, look! A shooting star!" Sophie shouted.

"Make a wish! Make a wish!"

"Whoa, Jamie, look…" Sophie breathed, awed.

"Wow…"

Stars rained down as they watched. They lit up the night sky.

"Now, ain't that a sight," said another voice.

"Bunny!" Sophie cried, flipping over and leaping at the oversized rabbit.

"Oof," the Pooka, known as the Guardian Bunnymund, grunted.

A cool breeze swept through the grassy space.

Jamie shivered as he said, "Hey, Jack."

"Hey Jamie, Sophie… Kangaroo," said the white haired teen greeted.

"I am not a kangaroo, mate."

"Shoot, I keep getting that wrong." Jack teased.

Bunny started to reply when Sophie pointed to the sky and waved down the Sandman. The Sandman in turn shook his finger at them, then mimed a clock. Jamie checked his watch.

"Oh shoot. I didn't realize it had gotten this late. Come on, Soph', I've got a meeting in the morning and you've an oral report," Jamie said standing up, only to collapse on the ground as golden sand hit his face.

"Sandy," Sophie pleaded, "let me get home first, please."

Sandy nodded then hit himself in the side of the head.

Bunny picked up Jamie, then let Sophie climb on his back.

"Hol' on tight, ankle bitah'," he said as he opened a tunnel.

After what seemed like merely a second, they popped back out in the hallway connecting Sophie and Jamie's rooms. Sophie slid off Bunny's back and tip toed back to her room.

"Night, Bunny," she called softly.

The stars twinkled through her open window.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors' notes:

Depressed and Healing Sadie

Queen Arabia

Star Anise

Thanks for favoriting!

Kai2

Luthengrad

Queen Arabia

Thanks for following.

Please leave reviews. Authors love them! Flames will be used for warmth and marshmallows.

* * *

Sophie and Jamie Bennet, as they slept, nor the Guardians, as they each went back to their "humble" abodes, had any idea of the conversation of the above their heads.

The Spirits of the Stars were having their usual "Bright Night" as they called it. The Bright Night was always when there was a new moon. During these nights, the Star Spirits brightened the stars. While Man in the Moon rested, and thus he couldn't protect the children that he loved so. He had noticed this long ago, far too many years to count, and had created the Star Spirits. The Star Spirits tired after a couple decades or so, and were replaced. The current Star Spirits were thick as thieves, and simply couldn't stand to be separated.

The first of them was Ivy, Spirit of the Falling Stars. Ivy had chocolate brown hair and extremely pale skin. Her eyes were green as the forests on the earth below. She wouldn't have even left her home in the first place, if not for the Star Gatherer. Ivy, like most all Spirits, died of tragic causes. She was thrown out on the streets when she was a child, and eventually starved to death. Her job was to shoot stars down to the earth below, and to keep some semblance of belief alive in the children. It is hard to be believed in, if no one knew about you.

The next Spirit was Shyann, Spirit of The Darkness. Her job was to make sure that the night sky was never too dark. Pitch Black had often tried to recruit her, but she would never betray her friends. Shyann had midnight back hair and icy blue eyes, even icier than a certain frost spirit on the world below. She practically swam through the darkness, and her form was rather like a mermaid's. Her "tail" was made of shadows that flowed around her body and dissipated when they got too far away. Her "tail" was punctuated by small prisms of light. Shyann, too, was very anti-social, and still would be, if it weren't for the Star Hanger.

The last spirit was known by many names. She gathered the stars and hung new ones. She died of a horrible disease. She would wear a long peasant skirt that floated around her legs. It showed the night sky, and seemed to melt into the background seamlessly. She also wore a simple white top. She had sun kissed skin, made to seem even darker by the stark white top. She had full pink lips. Her front tooth was chipped, and only one of her canine teeth had ever come in. She had short caramel hair that always floated upwards in some invisible breeze. Her most striking feature, however, were her stormy blue eyes. Her name was Katie.

None of them remembered their pasts.

Ivy loved to read and write. Her wing in their shared home was filled to the brim with thousands of scrolls and manuscripts. Each room had an enormous fireplace. The whole wing was just a very large library. It was a very cozy feeling.

Shyann loved to paint and draw. She loved to see new places. Her wing of their shared home was light. No wall was unpainted. There were sketches and doodles always lying about. Canvases sat against walls or easels. Shyann had tons of windows, and each one bore a different scene. It always felt airy and free.

Katie lived in the upper floor of the mansion. She cultivated her stars here, thus, it was always dark. She slept in a small corner, boxed in on all four sides. Said box was overflowing with blankets and pillows alike.

"Katie, Katie!" A voice cried.

Turning around, Katie saw Shyann "swimming" towards her. "What's wrong?"

"The stars," Shyann cried, her eyes were panicked, "they're disappearing!"

"What? What do you mean they're disappearing?" Katie asked, somewhat hysterically.

"I mean that the ones you gathered last night, they're gone! Someone, somehow, broke into the stores. They're gone! Missing! This is awful! This is terrible! This is-" She was cut off by Katie.

"Shyann, calm down, I need you to go find Ivy, okay? She'll need to know what's going on. Let me finish this, then meet me at the stores, okay?" Katie said.

"'Kay!" With that, Shyann "swam" into the darkness.

Katie quickly finished gathering the stars, then raced to meet the others at the stores.

What she found astonished her. The lock was gone. Not broken, just gone. The lock was made of pure light! The only thing that could break it…

'Oh no…' Katie thought, terrified.

"I see you've come to the same conclusion I have, then," A voice sounded behind her.

Katie turned around quickly, her hair flying around her face. "Ivy," she breathed, "please tell me you're not thinking what I'm thinking."

"Pitch Black was killed years ago." Ivy stated.

"Then, does that mean that they're back?" Katie asked.

"Yes." Ivy answered.

"Who's back?" Shyann wondered. She was the youngest, and didn't know most of the Lore.

Katie answered quietly, her voice grave, "The Shadow Pirates."


End file.
